A Time of Peace
by Sliverloc303
Summary: In a town free from magical beings, the Originals and the Mystic Falls gang will have to unwillingly work together to save the innocent life of the one person they all care for. Ten years have gone by and many things have changed, especially for Damon and Bonnie who have a decade's worth of memories that have nothing to do with their old friends. ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

**A Time Of Peace**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of this.

Night time in Mystic Falls had never been so still. The roads were deserted even on the Main Street where the Mystic Grill was closed up until the morning. The high school was empty and the sidewalks were bare of people. The moon was half full, shining down on the once troubled town.

The town that was so used to supernatural creatures running through woods and haunting its bridges had finally been granted a time of peace. To the relief of the learned Town Council, Mystic Falls had been free of the monsters that had stalked its people, for nearly 10 years. They were thinking of throwing a party or a Ball to celebrate under the guise of another Founder's Day; not like the people needed an excuse to party.

Mayor Rudy was asleep in his bed, his wife dreaming beside him; it had been a long time since either of them had been trouble by vampires, werewolves or even witches. The only one they still had contact with was their daughter Bonnie; the one supernatural being that had solved their problems instead of making them even more complicated.

Unknown to them, she was driving by their two story home that night, glancing just for a moment before she continued driving along the empty road. She saw nothing and no one else on her way to the Salvatore Boarding house, stopping only for a moment as she remembered to send a text message.

Her message arrived to its sender, causing the phone to bounce and beep on the bedside table of Stefan Salvatore. He woke up in his king sized bed, eyes slightly blurry but he grabbed his phone and opened the message.

"Who is it?" his wife asked sleepily, not even bothering to open her eyes.

"It's Bonnie," he replied, throwing the covers off him, "She's arriving early. You can sleep; I'll meet her."

With that his wife snuggled back under covers and Stefan walked out of their bedroom. He made his way down the long corridor of the boarding house and down the sweeping staircase. He saw the headlights of Bonnie's car shine through the front windows of the boarding house and he opened the door with a smile to greet her, how fully awake himself.

She grinned widely at him as she got out of her silver vehicle and hopped up the steps of the Boarding House. Stefan bowed jokingly at the door, waving an arm to usher her in.

Bonnie snorted and pushed his bent head slightly. "Cut it out Stefan! If you want to say hi properly, you can make me some tea."

Stefan shut the door and with Bonnie, walked through the Boarding House to the kitchen. Bonnie looked at Stefan's pyjamas, the wife beater with the loose pants and bare feet before asking, "I'm sorry about waking you up but I thought it would be better than breaking in. And thanks again for lending me a room."

"Don't worry about it," he replied, "It's just great to see you. How was New Orleans?"

Bonnie seemed not to be listening to him; instead she was just looked at the house as she walked. The Boarding House had been slightly redecorated over the 10 years. Gone were the heavy drapes and dark colours; new windows had been put in and the whole house seemed brighter and more homely. Perhaps it was the lack of vampires now living in it.

They walked into the kitchen and Stefan repeated his question.

"Oh," Bonnie replied as she sat up on a stool beside the counter, "It was great. As soon as I put down the vampire and werewolf spat that was going on, I got to visit some relatives which was nice."

Stefan got the tea ready as she spoke and he laughed slightly. "Only Bonnie Bennett would call an all out war a 'spat'. But then this is you we are talking about. How is it, being the Queen of all supernatural beings?"

She wanted to push him again for his teasing ways but she just leaning against the counter and replied, "I'm not the Queen; more like the Sherriff."

Stefan grinned and just said, "Well I'm just glad that I'm out of that world now; did I ever thank you for giving me the cure?"

"Only about a million times."

It was still strange for Bonnie; being able to turn vampires and werewolves back into humans with just a touch and one spell. It had never occurred to Shane that her ancestor's cure would sense a Bennett witch and only work for her. She cured her friends and family if that was what they wanted. Word had spread after that, vampires and werewolves flocking to Mystic Falls to be human again.

Of courses, others had not been as enthusiastic. Klaus had tried to kill her for instance, so Bonnie had finally had to kill him instead. The death of another brother had made Elijah only want to protect Rebekah even more, so he had agreed not to target Bonnie or her friends. It had never been his way in the first place.

Yet, others tried to take out the woman who was becoming the most powerful witch the world had ever seen; the prodigy.

The tea was soon made, warm and just right for the mild weather. Stefan poured it into mugs and handed one to Bonnie. So they wouldn't wake the others sleeping upstairs, the two 27 year olds walked out to the front porch and sat on the chairs. They were quiet at first, drinking their tea and enjoying the silence of the night.

Then Bonnie cleared her throat and said, "There were some whispers in New Orleans. The vampires are gathering for some reason."

Stefan frowned slightly at her but Bonnie kept looking out at the woods that surrounded the boarding house.

"That's why the werewolves were so annoyed; the increased numbers of vampires were moving in on their territory. But they were there for a very specific reason. I heard talk in other places as well."

Stefan put his mug down on the arm of the chair but didn't respond. His days of getting involved with the supernatural world were long over. Even if he did want to jump back into the adventure, he couldn't. He had other people to protect now. "Do you know what it was?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Not exactly, all they knew was that a great "energy" was being felt. All of them could sense and it supposedly has great power. I can't feel anything but the vampires are attuned to things that I'm not."

She looked over at him over the rim of her mug as she took a sip. That familiar broody forward was starting to show again and Bonnie quickly reassured him. "Don't worry Stefan; no supernatural creature can step foot in Mystic Falls without my say so. Remember?"

Of course he remembered. It was one of the most ingenious spells she had ever used. By the town lines, Bonnie turned the whole of Mystic Falls into a safe haven. It was like the spell that had trapped Klaus is the Gilbert living room or the condition that vampire couldn't enter a home uninvited. The town was like a giant house and Bonnie Bennett was the owner.

"I remember; and if you need anything-."

"I tell you but I won't drag you both back into this world Stefan."

Stefan moved to reply again but noise from the doorway made them both turn around.

"Daddy?"

The green eyes of Marina Salvatore peeked out from behind the heavy foot door to look at her father. Stefan smiled at his five year old and said, "Hey Mar, look who came to visit?"

Marina peeked her head out more, her stuff hedgehog toy making an appearance in her arms. Her eyes lit up and exclaimed, "Aunt Bonnie!"

Marina ran out and hurried over to Bonnie who scooped her up in a huge hug. "Hey! How's my favourite Salvatore?"

"Good; me and Mommy made cookies today but Daddy nearly ate them all."

"Oh well, maybe next time Daddy can clean up while you and Mommy eat all the cookies."

The two girls giggled and Stefan stood up from his chair. "I have a better idea; how about little girls get to sleep before the sun comes up?"

Marina turned to Bonnie and asked, "Will you be here in the morning Aunt Bonnie?"

"Yup; I'm stay over here tonight."

Marina smiled and hugged her goodnight before her father scooped her up and carried her inside. Marina yawned slightly placing her head on Stefan's shoulder as he climbed the stairs. "Did you have the nightmares again?" he asked her softly as he reached the landing and walked towards her room. It was decorated like any other little girl's room. Bright colours with toys everywhere and colouring books and crayons scattered over the small table across from her bed. The large bay window had butterfly wind chimes in it and a comfy window seat. Stefan laid her down in her bed, tucking her in again by the glow from her nightlight.

Marina placed her hedgehog under her arm and she finally replied, "Yes, Daddy but it's going to be ok. I know that nightmares can't get me."

Stefan smiled and replied, "That's right; me and Mommy and Aunt Bonnie will keep the nightmares away."

"And my crow!"

Stefan froze, staring down at her daughter's innocent face. "What crow sweetheart?" he asked quietly and Marine pointed towards the window.

"My crow. He stays outside my window and keeps me safe from the nightmares and the bad guys."

Stefan got up immediately and looked out of the bay window. The tall tree was there, its branches filled with leaves but there was no crow. Stefan looked out into the gloom of the night but still saw nothing. He turned and picked Marina up again as he said, "Hey, how about you sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed tonight? I have got to talk to Aunt Bonnie for a little while so you keep Mommy company."

Bonnie had been waiting for Stefan to return, sipping her tea and resting her bones from the long drive. She jumped slightly as Stefan came out onto the porch again, this time he had shoes on and a jacket. He didn't stop on the porch; just stormed off straight into the front yard.

"Stefan!?" Bonnie called to him, putting down her mug and going to stand on the front step of the porch.

Stefan had not gone far; he was standing in the driveway, glaring out at the woods. "I know you're there!" he yelled out, "And I know you can hear me!"

Bonnie was still and Stefan was silent but a moment later, there was a breeze and a familiar whooshing sound.

Damon Salvatore stood in front of his brother; in his entire leather jacket wearing glory. He had hadn't changed, his vampirism keeping his smirking face clear from age. However, he wasn't smirking this time. His face was guarded, slightly sad and he replied to Stefan quietly. "Long time, brother."

Stefan seemed caught between punching him and walking away but somehow he stayed put. "How long have you been looking out for Marina?"

Damon titled his head, ever so slightly and replied, "For about a month. There's something happing Stefan and Marina is in the middle of it."

"What are you talking about?"

Damon's eyes locked with Bonnie's; green meeting blue. "Those whispers that Witchy has been hearing? Well they are becoming more like loud and annoying exclamations. And what they are saying is that there's a power coming that none of us has ever seen before."

"Marina is human," Stefan protested and it was Bonnie's turn to chip in.

"She's the daughter of two ex vampires who were cured by a Bennett witch. I don't want to toot my own horn by even I know the consequence my magic can bring."

Stefan was looking between them both, starting to remember how annoying it was when they agreed on something.

He swallowed thickly and turned back to Damon. "How do you even know that Marina is the one they are talking about?"

Damon sighed and replied, "She's living in Mystic Falls, a place whose history is deep fried in magic and still is. Plus she's a Salvatore so that immediately makes her awesome."

"She doesn't even know who you are," Stefan blurted out. There were no mentions of Damon, no pictures or stories told about him.

Damon looked down for a moment before saying, "Ya, but that's kind of my fault isn't it."

Stefan frowned at him again, his fist clenching and unclenching by his side. He really didn't know what to think about Damon anymore. After Elena had been cured and freed from the sire bond, Damon had left and stayed a vampire. He had been floating around the globe for those 10 years and they had never really talked since. Stefan did suspect that his brother and Bonnie had had a few run-ins however. She was so busy keeping the supernatural world in line that it took her to nearly every continent and Damon had always liked to travel. There was always something unspoken between the two of them and he guessed from the fact that Damon could step into Mystic Falls, that Bonnie had some trust for him.

"Stefan no matter what went on between us, Marina comes first for you. So I think it's time we get the old gang back together and figure out how we're going to handle this threat."

Stefan snorted and said, "Ya, because we were all so successful last time we tried to save people as a group!"

"I'll call the others and have them meet us here tomorrow afternoon," Bonnie said, "Why don't you go get some rest and Damon and I will talk about the details."

Stefan looked between them again. Obviously there was something going on between them. Damon was doing his creepy eye thing that he thought was attractive and Bonnie was giving him a hidden glare right back. Yet, he knew that when they teamed up, the plans usually worked and in the case of his daughter, he really wanted to win.

"Alright," he said softly and turned to go back inside. Before he walked back through the door of the house, he called back to Damon. "You're invited in; you can take your old room."

Damon looked surprised but Stefan just walked away and up the stairs.

Finally it was just him and Bonnie; funny how it always seemed to end up that way for him. She didn't move from her spot on the porch, leaning against the wooden post.

"You were in New Orleans?" she asked carefully and he nodded slightly.

"I saw you there, of that's what you're really asking," he replied, "When that werewolf pack started to attack you I was going to step in but then you set their fur on fire so..."

He hadn't moved from his spot in the driveway; she seemed glued to the porch. Not an inch closer; it was safer that way.

"You look good, Bennett," he blurted out. He wanted to smack himself around the head but that would give away the carefree attitude he was going for. She simply keep her arms folded and tilted her head at him.

"And you look tiered Salvatore." She paused and then added, "When are you coming home?" When, she said.

No if, but when.

Damon sniffed slightly and replied, "Which home would that be? The Boarding House is Stefan's so there's no home in Mystic Falls. Or are you talking about the villa in Italy?"

Bonnie's eyebrow rose slightly. Oh he'd crossed the line now. Bring up Italy, the villa and thus implying what had gone on there. Sneaky little vampire. He was smirking now, feeling that familiar banter about to start.

"It's a beautiful place," he added, "And that weekend in Venice was amazing too is I recall."

Bonnie laughed slightly and said, "Saying Venice in an Italian accent isn't going to help your cause you know?"

"And what cause would that be?"

"Getting me to help you in whatever crazy scheme you've concocted now."

Damon's smirk fell slightly, as he came back to the real world and the task at hand. "Oh I think you will help me anyway Bonnie," he said, "Because it's for Marina and we both know how far you'll got for that girl."

"And you?" Bonnie asked, "How far are you going to go for a child you've never met."

Damon looked up at the window of Marina's room, the nightlight still sending out a glow even though she was not there. He turned back to Bonnie and replied in the icy tone that always shadowed trouble.

"I need to make up for lost time Bonnie; which means that any vampire, werewolf, witch or in-between that even thinks about harming my niece is getting their head ripped off."

**-The next day-**

One of the first things that Stefan had done when he had actually hit 21 and gotten full legal rights to the Boarding House was to change the back garden. The weeds and over hanging trees had been cut back, new grass had been put in and flower bed were scattered all over the yard. Marina had added her own touches like the swing set and the ridiculously big tree house that her Uncle Matt and Uncle Jeremy had built her.

A wooden lawn table with a bright red umbrella and chairs were in the garden as well, and Bonnie, Stefan and Damon were sitting around it.

Marina was watering her flowers, dripping more water on her bare feet than the actual plants. She kept sending glances at the tall man who had stayed over at their house last night. He kind looked scary but then he had made her pancake for breakfast and Aunt Bonnie seemed to like him. Her Mommy and Daddy were a little more... well...well they just didn't smile at him like Aunt Bonnie smiled at him. They seemed kind of grumpy.

Marina just shrugged and went back to looking after her flowers.

Damon sat back in the chair and looked between Marina and Stefan for a moment. "If she sticks her head into the flowerbed any further, she'll fall in."

Stefan looked over at Marina and then replied, "That's how she smells the flowers. Once she picked all of them and put them in her room. Except she pulled them from the roots and dragged dirt through the house."

Bonnie laughed slightly just before a shout of "Hey Salvatore!" came from the open back doors.

Stefan, Bonnie, Damon and Marina all turned around to see Tyler strolling out of the house. He shook his head and muttered, "There are far too many of you these days."

Marina sent him a smile and exclaimed, "Hey Uncle Tyler!"

He grinned back and said, "Except you Marina, you are the cool Salvatore."

He reached the table and glared at Damon. "Tell me again Bonnie, why we are listening to this guy's ideas. He hasn't exactly been reliable in the past."

"We are trusting him because I think he's got a point. There have been a few more disturbances near here than normal. Like that pack that settled few miles down the road."

Tyler nodded and replied, "That's true. There have been a few packs that have been resettling close to here; it's strange."

Stefan turned his head when he heard heels clicking on the wooden back porch. Caroline walked towards them, waving; Elena was right behind her with Jeremy and Matt. Rebekah was at the last to arrive in the back garden and soon they were all gathered around the table, with Marina now bent down and closely examining one of her flowers.

"Well, this is a terrible sense of déjà vu," Caroline quipped from her seat beside Bonnie.

Matt turned to Stefan and asked, "Bonnie said that we may have another problem-_again_. Aren't we getting a little old for this?"

"Speak for yourself," Damon quipped. Multiples eye-rolls were all got in return.

Stefan looked at himself and then said, "Damon and Bonnie had been hearing things for every supernatural community across the continent. We think that others are sensing something; something powerful and possibly dangerous. And they might think its Marina."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Marina? They think Marina is powerful and dangerous? She cried when we caught that fish in the lake and she made us throw it back."

"It makes sense," Elena added in, "All of her connections to magical beings and growing up in Mystic Falls? She seems like a likely candidate."

"But she hasn't show any kinds of power! Has she?" Rebekah asked and Stefan shrugged. "Nothing."

He looked at Bonnie and she said, "I could take a look, a few harmless spells that would only search for any magic of any kind. Someone call her over."

**-Marina-**

Marina was not pleased with this daisy. It was a dirty white colour and had nearly lost all its petals. She huffed and stroked the daisy as she said, "Now, flower, you need to grow big and strong like me so you can be with the rest of your flower friends."

Marina turned around when she heard her Mommy calling. With one more look at her flower, Marina skipped off across the green grass to her family.

Behind her the daisy was now a vibrant purple colour with shiny petals and a strong stem.

**I didn't know who I wanted Stefan to be with so I guess you can make your own mind up. Plus I liked writing it that way.**

**I really don't know where I'm going with this so it's a one shot for now but maybe if I get inspiration I'll continue. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A Time of Peace**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.**

**I decided to continue with the story but it won't be a very long one. I hope you all enjoy and thanks for the reviews!**

A summer shower of rain had sent everyone inside the Boarding House and the now light living room.

Bonnie sat in one of the arm chairs by the empty fire place, glancing around at the changed room. Stefan had extended the front porch so that it wrapped around the whole of the house and two double doors had been put into the walls instead of the dreary windows that vampires used to get thrown through on weekly bases. Marina had been sent upstairs after Bonnie had examined her and the girl was happy to play with her dolls while the adults discussed boring things in the living room.

Stefan was sitting on the couch, rubbing his hands together in worry. "Are you sure that you don't sense anything Bonnie?" he asked again.

Bonnie sighed and tried to explain in a clear way. "I don't know what I'm looking for Stefan. Whatever the vampires and werewolves are sensing, I can't see it. On the other hand..."

She looked over at Damon, who was leaning against the mantle place and then back at Stefan. "It is possible that whatever Marina has, it goes beyond anything I've ever encountered. Marina has been exposed to so many different kinds of magic and it's centring on one little girl. So whatever it is, it could be very dangerous. I actually think it's a good idea that we're all here to help."

Stefan stilled and cleared his throat. "Well now that you've mentioned help, I think it's time my wife told you something very important."

The whole group turned to the woman by his side, making Rebekah sigh.

"Alright, alright," she said, "Bonnie there's something I've been meaning to tell you for the past...decade."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow and the ex Original looked slightly guilty. "When we faced Silas, the cure wasn't the only thing that was in the cave with him. I found something after you and Damon killed him."

Bonnie and Damon looked at each other again, remembering that day. It had actually been easy to get rid of such a powerful creature. She had the cure and immediately wanted to use it on Silas. One look at Damon and he knew exactly what to do. They did their 'thing' and managed to pull it off. One spell from her and a quick neck snap and it was all over. Clearly it was a fluke; a chance of luck in their favour. But it had worked and that was good enough for them.

"What else was there?"

Rebakah looked over at Stefan who placed a comforting hand on her jean clad knee. "I found a stone with some markings on it. I didn't know what it was but when I picked it up, Jeremy came back to life."

Jeremy startled slightly and exclaimed, "I was really dead?! Again?!"

"But we thought he was still hanging in there!" Elena added, "And then Stefan gave him some blood."

Bonnie sighed and muttered, "That stone must have been how Silas brought people back to life. You activated it and it brought back the dead person nearest to you."

Rebekah nodded and Jeremy called over to her, "Thanks by the way."

Rebakah sent him a small smile but looked back Bonnie. "When I realised what I had in my hands...I brought them back. I brought my brothers back Bonnie."

"What?!" Everyone else in the room seemed to be horrified at the news; surprisingly Bonnie was the only one to remain calm.

"I was just thinking of Kol and Finn when we got back here after the island and then...there they were; alive. Even after you killed Klaus, he just came back!"

Damon hadn't moved from his post, he just asked the witch, "Did you hear anything about the Originals over the years Witchy?"

"No, and that's why I'm not freaking out right now. How have your brothers not run into me over these 10 years?"

"They came back as humans first. Finn and Elijah decided to stay as such but Klaus and Kol got turned back into vampires. They have made enough enemies over the years so at first they didn't want any stronger vampires coming after them. Then they got a witch to return them to their original strength. By then however, Bonnie here had firmly established herself as the leader of supernatural creatures and they didn't want to make her an enemy...again."

"We're saying 'again' a lot these days," Matt muttered to Tyler, who laughed slightly.

Elena walked over to the couch from where she had been standing and looked at Rebekah. "Where is the stone? Do you still have it?"

Rebekah shook her head and replied, "It turned to dust after Klaus came back; I never knew why."

Bonnie hummed slightly and said, "Probably after centuries of being unused; the stone brought four supernatural creatures back in a short amount of time. Its magic might not have been strong enough."

"But where are your brothers now?" Caroline asked, "Do they know about Marina?"

Stefan nodded and answered her. "We've taken her on vacation outside of Mystic Falls and they usually meet us wherever we go."

"I called them this morning and they are on their way here. But Bonnie I need you to let them in." Bonnie leaned back in her chair with a quiet sigh. Klaus and Kol were the most dangerous Originals but they had been behaving themselves for a decade.

"Are you crazy?" Elena exclaimed, "You can't let them in; Kol will take our heads off the second he sees us!"

"With good reason!" Rebekah shot back; Stefan trying to stop a fight before one started.

"I'm with Elena on this; we may have killed Kol but he was trying to rip my arms off the last time we saw him," Jeremy added.

"And have we forgotten that Klaus hates of all us?" Tyler put in.

"Yes, but he, like all my brothers, love Marina in their own way. They only want to protect her." Rebekah sent a pleading look to Bonnie as she spoke.

Bonnie looked over at Damon again, who shrugged and said, "We need all the help we can get; plus if they get out of hand, you can just bring them down."

He sent her a smirk, infuriating her and making her smile at the same time. He just expected her to beat an Original with a click of her fingers but the faith he had in her was always uplifting.

Bonnie looked back Rebekah and Stefan, the latter adding, "Do you honestly think I'd let them anywhere near Marina if they were dangerous to her?"

Not for a second, Bonnie realised. So she stood up and took a deep breath. Reaching out with her magic, she could feel the borders of the town, invisible but stronger than any gates. "I will allow Elijah, Finn, Klaus and Kol Mikaelson to enter Mystic Falls."

Nothing happened. Bonnie just sat back down and said, "They can enter the town now; but the minute one of them steps out of line, Rebekah-."

"I know," the blonde said, "But they love Marina as much as we do. They'll behave to help us."

As if on cue, the door was kicked open and Kol stormed into the Boarding House.

"Where is he?!" Kol yelled, "Where is the son of a bitch daring to hurt my niece?!"

Stefan sighed and let his head fall on the back of his couch. "Does he have to enter every house that way?"

Rebekah got up quickly to calm her brother but Marina came running down the stairs when she had heard the noise. Her face lit up and she exclaimed, "Uncle Kol!"

Kol turned around and his glare turned into a smile. "Hey darling, how's my favourite niece?" He picked up Marina and she hugged him tightly.

Stefan got up the same time as Bonnie and he muttered to her, "Kol Mikaelson: Marina's bi-polar uncle."

Klaus walked in a moment later and Kol put Marina down so she could greet him. She grinned at him and hugged Klaus as well. He simply patted her head and said, "Hello Marina. I've brought you some more paints for your art set."

Marina bounced up and down in excitement as Klaus gave her a bag of paints and number of new paintbrushes. Rebekah walked over to her brothers and shook her head at the gift. "The last time you gave her a present, she covered her bedroom walls in finger paint!"

Klaus shrugged and replied, "I am encouraging her artistic talent, sister. Plus I'm not the one cleaning up after her."

"Uncle Finn _and_ Uncle Elijah too?!" Marina giggled as her last two uncles walked into the house.

She skipped over to Finn and hugged his legs. He smiled at her and asked, "How are you today, little one? We came to visit you this time." Marina turned to Elijah and he scooped her up into a hug. "What do you think Marina? All of your family under one roof for once."

Marina turned to Stefan and said, "They can stay here, right Daddy?"

The idea of the Originals and his friends, including Damon all living in the Boarding House was actually the last thing Stefan wanted but Marina was looking at with big green pleading eyes. Kol stood beside his niece and pointed to her puppy dog eyes.

"Resistance is futile, Stefan."

The Salvatore shook his head but answered, "Yes, of course you can all stay in the rooms."

Marina clapped her hands in delight and started chatting to Elijah about how they see her flowerbeds now.

Kol looked around the room and nodded to everyone in turn. "Sister, Sister's husband, Human, Ex-hybrid, Blonde Vampire, Creepy Blue Eyes." He grinned when he saw Bonnie and said smoothly, "Bonnie Bennett; it's an honour to see your beautiful face again."

Damon tensed and snapped out at the other vampire, "We all have names you know."

Kol dragged his eyes away from Bonnie and drawled, "Yes but I seriously can't be bothered to remember them all."

"At least he registered that you were actually in the room," Jeremy growled and Kol rounded on him.

"Actually I did know that you and your sister were in the room but Marina is present therefore I can't swear."

"Alright, alright," Caroline said, holding her hands out, "Can we get back to the problem at hand? You know, instead of biting each other's heads off?"

"Well how do we know they wouldn't stab us in the back when we let our guard down?" Matt argued.

Klaus chuckled and replied, "Lovely choice of words there."

Stefan rolled his eyes and turned to his daughter. "Alright Mar, why don't you go back upstairs and get your paints out and I'll be up in a minute to help you."

Marina nodded and Elijah placed her back on the ground so she could skip up the stairs. The eldest Mikaelson stood up straight and said smoothly, "I can assure you that our number one priority it Marina. As long as you all play fair so will we."

"How fair is fair?" Kol asked, only for Finn to elbow him in the ribs.

"They'll be on their best behaviour," Rebekah promised while Stefan just walked over to the door to check it for damage.

"In that case, the first item of business should be that the boundary line for the town runs far too close to this house," Klaus said, "For a human, it's only five minutes away but for a vampire, well, you saw how quickly we got here. And that was with dragging Elijah and Finn behind us."

"Well I'm afraid I can't move the town lines; but we can certainly keep an eye on them," Bonnie said, one hand on her hip. "If the vampires and werewolves can sense Marina then it's possible they can track her; they may come here."

Stefan shut the door with force and ran a hand through his hair. Damon stood straight and walked over to stand by Bonnie. "I followed the power trail here; I'm guessing so did Klaus and Kol. Others showing up are a big threat."

Bonnie looked at him and said, "I'll talk to my mom and ask her does she remember anything that could help us. My Grams' old books might also have something about Marina's power."

"Sounds like two very good plans," Matt commented and Damon smirked.

"Of course they are; they came from us."

Bonnie grinned at him before shaking her head.

**-A few minutes later; Marina's room-**

Marina was sat on her chair, her legs tucked underneath her as she leaned onto the small table in front of her. Paper, paints and other colours were spread all over the table and she was hard at work on her latest masterpiece. Stefan had managed to convince her to put on an art apron to save her clothes but her arms and hands were covered in paint. She hummed slightly as she dipped her paintbrush into some purple paint, not noticing Damon appear in her doorway.

The older Salvatore sighed slightly. She had Rebekah's blonde hair but Stefan's eyes and she looked a lot like her father when he was that age too. He had been avoiding Stefan and Mystic Falls for the past decade but Bonnie had told him when his brother has gotten married and when Marina was born. The butterfly charms in the window threw multicoloured light into the room and Damon remembered the first time he had seen them. They were a shop in Germany and Bonnie had been looking for a gift for Marina's birthday. Damon had picked them out but he refused to let Bonnie tell Stefan his part in the gift.

Marina looked up and smiled at him, one of her cheeks dotted with red paint. "Hi Damon!" she said, going back to her paper.

Damon smiled and walked over to her saying, "Hey, your Mom and Dad had to go out and check something so they asked me to see what you are up too."

Actually they had gone to see the town line by the back of the house with the Originals while Damon and Bonnie sorted through the magic books that she had left in the Mansion a few weeks ago. The others had gone back into town to tell the Mayor and Sheriff Forbes about Marina; just to give them the heads up.

Damon crouched down beside the table and raised his eyebrows slightly at the mess she had already made.

Marina grinned at him and said, "I'm drawing a family picture. Mommy, Daddy, Aunt Bonnie, Aunt Caroline, Aunt Elena and all my uncles, Matt, Jeremy, Tyler, Elijah, Finn, Klaus and Kol!"

Damon gave her a tight grin, trying to ignore the plain fact that he was absent. "Well you have a great family and that is a great picture! We should frame it for everyone to look at."

Marina smiled but bit her lip slightly. "There's a boy in my school that says I have a weird family."

Damon frowned and replied, "Really? Well that boy is just stupid; in fact all boys are stupid, you should just avoid them forever."

Marina giggled and added, "He said that they can't be my uncles and aunts because they're not my Mommy and Daddy's brothers and sisters. But can I still call them my family right?"

Damon nodded, in mock seriousness, and said, "Of course; plus some of uncles are your Mom's brothers."

Marina nodded and was silent for a moment, absentmindedly dragging the paintbrush across the page again. Finally she looked up at Damon and asked, "How come my Daddy doesn't have a brother or sister?"

Once again Damon felt that pang in his gut and he swallowed hard. He and Stefan had had their fights over the years but the fact that Stefan had pretty much erased his older brother stung. But it wasn't his place to tell Marina things her parents didn't want her to know. So Damon took a breath and just said, "Well, I guess he just doesn't. But that doesn't mean that he's lonely or upset. He has you and your mom and the others. Don't worry about your dad; he's really tough."

Marina nodded happily and exclaimed, "He's the toughest guy I know!"

She threw her arms out and knocked over the glass of water as well turning over two pots of paints. Both her and Damon jumped back at the same time and watched as the paint and water mixed together as it conveniently missed the drawings and splashed out over the floor.

Damon looked down at Marina who put both her hands over her mouth and mumbled through them, "Uh oh," while her green eyes grew as wide as a cartoon character.

Damon pointed at her face and said, "That. That right there is how you get away with so much."

He sighed and surveyed the scene in front of him before looking back down at Marina, who did not even reach his waist. "Alright, you go downstairs and tell Bonnie that painting time is over while I clean this up."

"Ok Damon; thank you." Marina hurried out of them room and Damon shook his head. He could help but think, as he put away her art things and whipped up the spill, that she was so like Stefan at that age. She was completely capable of mischief but one flash of those eyes had everyone forgetting what had happened in the first place. He himself had only been a child when Stefan had had that power but they had worked on him as well.

The table and the floor were clean so he headed to the bathroom with the paintbrushes to clean them. Turning on the tap, Damon tossed the brushes in sink and started to wash off the paint; multiple colours spinning around the sink before disappearing.

He was nearly finished when an all too familiar stab of pain shot through his brain. His legs nearly buckled, the breath was gone from his lungs. The pain was too much; he was leaning against the sink, the only thing holding him upright. The pain was worse than anything Bonnie had ever thrown at him and that was saying something.

And then, through the haze of mind numbing agony, he realised that Bonnie herself had appeared by his side. "Damon," he heard her say, "It's alright; wait for it to pass Damon."

She was right; it did past like all the times before. He was left breathless and weak, blinking because even the light in the bathroom was too bright after the attack. He sighed and stood up, looking over at a worried Bonnie. She was frowning but so very concerned for him.

He hated it when she saw the pain come.

One of her hands was on the back of his neck while the other was on his arm; soothing slightly. Damon gave her half a grin and placed a hand over hers. "Don't worry Bonnie; I'm fine. It's nothing I haven't handled before."

"But you shouldn't have to go through this!" she argued and he sensed their familiar fight coming.

"For the last time, it wasn't your fault. I made the choice and I don't regret it. And now I am paying for my actions; not just from ten years ago but for my entire life. What was it that you called it- "a blessing in disguise?" I'll be fine."

Bonnie huffed slightly, before replying, "You could at least let me ease the pain-."

"No; no this is my punishment and you have seen for yourself how much it's helped. I deserve this Bonnie."

"Deserve what?"

They both turned around to see Stefan standing in the doorway, his eyes darting between them both and their joined hands. "Ok, so obviously something is going and I would appreciate it if one of you would finally tell me what is going on?!"

Damon and Bonnie looked at each other again before Bonnie moved her hands from Damon. "You better tell him or I will," she promised before walking past Stefan and out the door.

Stefan folded his arms and stared Damon down, who could only turn fully around and lean against the counter. "What is going on Damon?" his brother asked quickly, "What punishment were you talking about and honestly? I really would like to know where you've been for the past ten years!"

Damon mirrored his brother's pose and replied, "I stayed away Stefan; isn't that what you wanted?"

Stefan frowned before arguing, "I was mad at you for everything you did; I was furious! But you were supposed to come back!"

There was heavy pause after her spoke and he swallowed thickly before continuing. "We fight and do terrible things to others and each other because that's how it's always been. You leaving wasn't a big deal Damon; but you were supposed to come back."

Damon blinked, in shock at Stefan's words. Stefan stared back at him and for a moment neither one of them spoke.

Finally Damon started to explain. "I stayed away because I had something big that I had to deal with; my punishment."

"Punishment for what?"

Damon closed his eyes and laughed slightly, as if Stefan had just given a simple answer to a very complicated question.

"Everything Stefan, everything."

He opened his eyes and sighed heavily. "You see, it turns out that there was catch to killing Silas. Go figure."


	3. Chapter 3

**A Time Of Peace**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.**

The Salvatore brothers stood facing each other, arms folded and faces guarded. Nothing unusual if you knew them well; or even witnessed one of their arguments.

But this time there was a hesitation in the air. Stefan was waiting for his brother to explain while Damon was trying to find the right words. Talking wasn't really his thing even after ten years. So he looked at his little brother and began the best way he could; with sarcasm.

"Of course the first immortal being would have a pain in the ass back up plan; not that we could have known that. I guess Silas figured that the person strong enough to kill him would have made a few enemies along the way; hurt people."

Damon paused here, long enough for Stefan to frown with concern. "You see, Stef, there's this spell that deals with empathy and compassion-."

"I didn't even think you knew how to spell those words."

"I picked up quick. The point is that Silas got a spell placed on him so that whoever actually killed him...well, was made feel the pain of the people he had harmed."

Stefan frowned again as his mind raced. Damon was feeling the pain of the people he had harmed? Countless faces flew through his head, names, places and people. He blurted out, "How are you not dead?!"

Damon snorted and ran a hand over his face. "There were a few times over the years that I asked myself the same question." He seemed to get an unfamiliar dark look in his eyes before he looked back at Stefan. "The first attack happened the night we all got back from the island. When everyone was in the Gilbert Kitchen toasting to the success; I felt like someone drove a white hot metal rod through my brain. I never felt that kind of pain before; the worst part was that it wasn't even physical, it was emotional. I felt lost, alone, betrayed, scared...I felt so, so scared Stefan. And I then I started seeing people. Faces appeared in front of me like warnings or new chapters in a book; telling me whose pain I was going to feel next."

Damon sighed lowly before continuing. "For the first few weeks, I was locked in a motel room, curled up in a ball trying to get through the pain. And then, after the pain passed I thought it was over. So I went looking for the person who I had just...emphasised with I guess. I went looking for Bonnie."

* * *

_"This is pointless! No one is going to show up."_

_Damon gazed down from the rooftop of one of the many warehouses that lined the alley way. He watched as the werewolf who had just spoken ripped the cigarette from his mouth and put it out with his tattered shoe. The vampire to his right looked ready to drain his companion dry but instead he rolled his eyes and said, "Have patience; our mysterious visitor is only five minute late."_

_The werewolf groaned and leaned against the wall opposite the vampire._

_Damon looked between them, the night time hiding him in the shadows. The two down below were the leaders of their respective groups in the New York area. They didn't work together in any way but they managed to cause damage and death wherever they went. Damon watched as they both continued to wait and ten minutes later, almost in unison, all three supernatural beings turned to the entrance of the darkened ally as they heard a noise._

_A clicking noise, like heels on cement. A person came into view; a woman. Damon couldn't help but grin at his first sight of Bonnie Bennett in five months. Her hair was straight and her eyes were gleaming. Her boots were over her jeans and the long sleeved sweater she wore showed all those curves he remembered so well. It was strange to see her now after feeling what she had gone through at his hand. He remembered him biting her neck, every taunt or snide comment. And yet she was still standing._

_Bonnie stopped in between the vampire and the werewolf who had straightened up at the sight of her._

_"Witch!" the vampire hissed, smelling her distinctive blood._

_Bonnie didn't bat an eye. She simply folded her arms and spoke. "I suppose I should thank you two for actually showing up but you are not like what I'm going to say. This whole running around, terrorising humans and causing trouble? It's going to stop."_

_The werewolf snorted and for once the vampire and he shared a laugh. "Really?" he asked, "And I suppose you are going to stop us. You may be a witch but can you really walk up here and tell two supernatural creatures what to do?"_

_Bonnie frowned at him and pointed over her shoulder. "I think I just did. But if you need more proof..."_

_Damon should have taken out a bet for what happened next; he had seen it so many times. The werewolf was brought to his knees, clutching his head while the vampire was throwing backwards, impaling himself on a broken piece of pipe that narrowly missed his heart._

_Bonnie strolled over to the werewolf who was still suffering from the effects of her magic. "Now I get that you boys can't help yourselves sometimes but I'm afraid that's just not a good enough excuse anymore. New rules are being put in place and you and your friends are just going to have to deal with it."_

_Bonnie had been so distracted with the werewolf, making sure he was still suffering, that she didn't notice the vampire pull himself off the pipe. Damon however, did. So when Bonnie looked up to see one vampire lunge at her, another one was there a second later to grab her attacker by the back of the neck and throw him back again at the pipe, this time hitting the mark._

_Bonnie stared at Damon, who standing there calmly with that familiar smirk on his face._

_"Long time no see Bennett," he drawled, "Did you miss me?"_

_Bonnie stared at him in shock; her eyes narrowed at him. She had lost concentration so the werewolf made a half hearted attempted to go for her throat. Without looking away from Damon, Bonnie pushed out with her hand and the werewolf was sent backward, toppling over some cardboard boxes and broken glass in the corner. "What are you doing here? Where have you been?"_

_Damon shrugged and replied, "Oh you know, here and there. How are things back in good old Mystic Falls?"_

_Bonnie folded her arms again and blinked at him. "Elena, Matt, Stefan and Rebekah are in college; Jeremy in school too. Caroline and Tyler are building a life at the Lockwood estate. But back to you!"_

_Damon turned as he heard the werewolf groan behind him. "Are you sure we should talk here with them?"_

_Bonnie waved the question away with a hand movement and replied, "He's got the message; I'll probably have to talk to the guy who talks over from the vampire but that can come later. Now answer my question. Where have you been Damon?"_

_She seemed worried about him; that surprised him. After everything he had done to her-and he knew exactly what she had felt towards him-he had left town when they were in a good place._

_"It's a long story Bonnie-."_

_That was all he managed to get out before he was struck speechless by another stab of pain. He grabbed the sides of his head and was going to fall to the ground but something stopped him. Through his blurry sight, he could see Bonnie trying to hold him up._

_"What's going on?!" she exclaimed, as he screwed up his face in agony._

_"I-I need to get back to the motel room," he managed to get out but Bonnie shook her head. "No; we'll go to my hotel. I have herbs there that will help."  
_

* * *

"Bonnie helped ease the pain but...after a while I realised that seeing myself through others' eyes was a blessing. Sometimes I take her potions when the pain gets too much but I never allowed her to take it away complete. It is fading but sometimes I get spasms of it."

Stefan's arms had fallen to his sides and he found he couldn't speak. Despite all they had done to each other, the idea of his brother in pain and not coming to him was difficult to grasp. And he was here. He had gone through all that pain and instead of taking it out on someone else in typical Damon fashion, he was here to help.

Damon watched Stefan's confused face and stood up, clearing his throat. "So, uh ya, that's what happen. Marina's paintbrushes are drying and the spill was cleaned up so I think I'm going to check out the border lines. I'll do a lap of the town."

Before Stefan could reply, Damon had sped off. Rolling his eyes, the younger Salvatore realised that his brother had gotten spooked when he hadn't said anything. He decided to let him cool off and he would talk to him later. Stefan walked out of the bathroom and towards the main stairs when he stopped suddenly.

"Wait, what spill?"

* * *

Bonnie flicked through the thin pages of one of her Grams' books, her eyes tracing the old spells and sketches. Countless Bennett witches had added to these books, even Bonnie herself in the last few years. She had stored them in a floor to ceiling bookshelves in her old bedroom and always looked back to them if her own books weren't good enough. She sat on her old bed, a number of them around her while Elena sat on her desk chair that had been there since high school.

After Damon and Elijah had headed out to the border, she and Elena had headed over to her parent's house.

Elena was also looking for anything that could help even thought she knew Bonnie would probably spend the rest of the night re reading every page. She would do anything to help Marina; they all would. This train of thought lead Elena to turn to her friend a few minutes later and ask, "Did you ever think our lives would plan out this way?"

Bonnie looked at her, startled slightly. She frowned in confusion and replied, "What? Sitting in my high school bedroom looking through spell books while werewolves and vampires roam the outside world? No not really."

Elena laughed at first but then fell silent. "It's just...Stefan and Rebekah are the same age as us and they have a huge house, good jobs and a beautiful little girl."

Bonnie closed the book and leaned back on her hands. "Elena, they have that house because it's been in the family, they have good jobs because they worked for them-like you- and they're already married with Marina because they literally come from a different era. Being settled down at this age isn't unusual for them. I mean we're only 27 and 28; it's not weird to be single at this age if that's what you're worried about." Elena shook her head, her brown hair shaking from side to side.

"No...it's just that sometimes I see Stefan with Rebekah and Marina and I can't help but think...that could have been me."

Bonnie didn't speak; she just remained still and silent. Getting over a love like she had with Stefan had not been easy but Elena had managed to be happy. She never once tried to rock the boat or make the small Salvatore family feel guilty for just being together. She had moved to the city and Jeremy was working near her. She had her own life and had spent the past ten years figuring out who she was without Damon and Stefan either side of her. Bonnie was proud of her friend.

"Maybe it'll be you one day," she said eventually, "Not with Stefan but with someone who loves you just as much."

Elena smiled at her and turned back to the book. Bonnie was about to follow her lead when her phone rang in her pocket. She jumped up and motioned to Elena that she was going outside. Her friend nodded and Bonnie walked out onto the landing, shutting the door tight behind her.

After quickly making sure her parents were not in hearing distance, Bonnie answered the phone. "It's about time you called."

"Aw, did you miss me lass?"

Bonnie leaned against the railing of the stairs and rolled her eyes. "Good to hear you too Vaughn."

The hunter chuckled down the line and replied, "Well, it took some time to get answers to your questions, Bonnie Bennett. I'm afraid I needed to _persuade_ some creatures to get them. Speaking of creatures how is Rebehkah?"

"Still married."

"It's a shame; she got gorgeous when she became human."

Bonnie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Actually getting on good terms with the hunter who had almost killed her had not been easy. They both had to realise that deep down they both just wanted to bring order to the world and keep supernatural creatures in line. Bonnie believed that she was the only witch he even talked to.

"Focus Vaughn," she said, "What's the verdict?"

Vaughn sighed slightly before replying cautiously. "There will be no consequences; nothing will happen to the girl after you do the spell."

Bonnie let out a sigh of relief; there was nothing stopping her now with this final loose end tied up.

"Listen Bonnie, have you told anyone what you're going to do? How about that boyfriend of yours? Or is he your husband now because I can never keep up with you two."

Bonnie stilled but cleared her throat slightly as she replied quickly, "It's better this way."

Vaughn didn't reply at first; the line was quiet. "Well, it's your choice," he said finally, "But the world is going to be a sorrier place without you lass. It was a pleasure knowing you."

"You too, Vaughn. Behave yourself."

"Ah now, I can't promise that!"

Bonnie hung up the phone laughing and held it in her hand for a moment. She took a breath and then walked back into the bedroom, smiling at Elena.

* * *

Rebekah sat back on the park bench, the mid day sun warming her. After keeping Marina in the house all day, she had decided to take her to the park before dinner. Klaus and Kol had trailed along after them and Rebekah had warned them: no biting or hurting humans unless you wanted Bonnie to set you on fire. So Kol entertained himself by helping Marina on the monkey bars while Klaus sulked and watched out for danger at the same time.

Rebekah watched as Marina switched from one bar to the other while Kol multitasked by checking out other mothers. Her beautiful little girl laughed and giggled as she hopped down to the ground and joined the other children. It wasn't that she and Stefan wanted to push Marina into the 'normal' box and leave things there. They wanted Marian to be happy. If she ever became a vampire, they would get her blood bags; if she ever became a werewolf they would see her through the full moon. And if she ever became a witch, they would make sure she would use her power for good.

The problem was that this magic in Marina was dangerous; if Bonnie was worried about it then they all should be worried about it. And she and Stefan had suffered so much being vampires that she dreaded to think the effect the supernatural world could have on Marina.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she suddenly realised that Kol had picked up a child from ground. As in he actually held the kid in the air by the back of his t-shirt. Kol looked around and when he saw the boy's mother running towards them, he shoved the boy into her face.

"This little shit," he said, "tried to kiss my niece. Control your child woman!"

Rebekah was off the bench a second later, hurrying over to them. "I am so sorry about my brother Mrs Lewis!" she babbled as the other woman took her boy away. "He's very protective!"

Mrs Lewis stormed off grumbling and Rebekah turned to look at Kol and Marina who were wearing identical innocent expressions.

"Would you please behave like I said you would? Or do I have to get Finn to babysit you?"

Kol shrugged and looked down at Marina. "I'm going to show you later what to do if a boy tries that again-the good news is as you get older, you'll be able to hit better."

Rebekah sighed in frustration and hurried over to grab the bags so they could leave.

Marina rocked back and forth on her heels as she said, "Damon said that all boys are stupid."

"Well in this rare case Damon is right; all boys are. Except for your Uncle Kol and maybe your dad."

"What about Uncle Klaus?"

"Oh he's extra stupid."

"I heard that!" Klaus called over to them.

* * *

"So how's life as a human?" Damon asked, walking through the grass. Elijah was strolling along just behind him watching the line of trees on their left. The town line ran along these trees, the town ending in the field that they were walking in.

"Surprisingly peaceful," he replied, "I forgot how the world looks when you realise that you won't be in it forever. Petty fights with my siblings seem so worthless now."

Damon just nodded and continued watching the border. He stopped suddenly and stared into the trees.

"What is it?" Elijah asked but Damon just held up a hand to silence him.

"Do you hear that?" he said softly and Elijah snorted.

"Not anymore!" he said, gesturing to his human ears.

But Damon continued to stare at the woods. Suddenly he saw them. Shadows, moving left and right at speeds that could only be of a vampire or a werewolf.

"Do you see something?"

"Ya...we need to get back to the Boarding House now!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A Time of Peace**

**Dislciamer: I don't own any of this**.

Marina sat on the edge of her tree house, looking out at the large garden. The doors of the Boarding House were open onto the porch and she could hear her Daddy and Mommy talking inside. Marina frowned as she swung her legs back and forth.

Something was really wrong. Everyone was over at their house and as fun as it was to have all her family together, they seemed worried. They needed cheering up. Marina thought about what made her happy; so that maybe it would make others happy.

She thought really, really hard.

* * *

Rebekah had just hurried into the kitchen, trying to busy herself so that she didn't snap someone's neck with frustration. Even if his wife was human now, Stefan did not doubt she could seriously hurt someone if she put her mind to it. He was beginning to feel the pressure build himself. All they wanted was to protect Marina; they were her parents and it was an instinct that went deeper than even blood hunting to a vampire. He would know. Bonnie and Elena were looking at books, Damon and the Originals were patrolling the town lines and the others were helping the sheriff prepare for a possible attack. It was easy to feel useless when everyone else had something to do.

So Stefan turned around and walked to the porch doors to check on his daughter. He walked outside and started to call to her but his voice stopped in his throat when he took in the sight in front of him.

His garden was filled with unicorns and rainbows.

Tall white horses with glittering horns sticking out from their heads were trampling the grass and the sky above was covered with different colours. Marina stood in the middle of all of this, clapping her hands.

"Look Daddy!" she exclaimed with glee, while Stefan just stood there with a slack jaw.

Finally he found his shaky voice. "Oh no...no, honey you can't keep them!" he said, as he watched his daughter's magic nearly cause a stampede in the back garden.

Marina pouted just as Damon hurried out onto the porch, after spotting only his brother standing on the spot.

"Hey! Stef-Oh my..." Damon's eyes widened at the sight and then he promptly burst out laughing. Stefan frowned, turning to his older brother who was doubled over holding his sides.

"This is not funny! You try telling her that she can't keep the unicorns!"

Damon straightened up, tears now in his eyes. He looks at his young niece who is still pouting. "No, I'll leave that to you," he said, just as Bonnie arrived onto the porch.

She too, stopped and stared at the unicorns and rainbows.

"Bonnie..." Stefan groaned, obviously begging her to do something.

Bonnie walked to the edge of the porch and sent Marina a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry sweetheart but they are going to have to go." With a wave of her hand, Bonnie reversed Marina's magic and the garden was left with uprooted stumps of grass and a simple blue sky.

Marina looked around and huffed before she ran into the house to Rebekah. Stefan ran a hand over his tiered face and Bonnie walked over to him.

"Well, I guess we know one thing she can do; summoning that many objects at once takes a very powerful magic."

"At least it's not dangerous," Stefan replied, trying to find some positivity in the situation.

Bonnie, however, winced and added, "Maybe now, but what happens when she's a teenager and she gets angry at someone. Goodness knows what could happen."

"Yes, well sorry to pile on more problems but I saw something by the town lines behind the house. There are a bunch of werewolves and vampires gathering," Damon muttered, all humour gone from his voice. Bonnie sighed but Stefan straight out swore.

"What are we going to do about this? I don't want a hoard of supernatural creatures swarming the house for my daughter!"

"They won't swarm!" Damon argued, "They would circle hungrily before pouncing."

"This is not funny!"

"Alright!" Bonnie stepped between the brothers with her hands held up. She pointed to Stefan and stated, "Everyone will be at the house tonight so Marina will have plenty of people to look after her."

She looked over at Damon and added, "You and me are going down to the cellars to check on some ingredients I might need to a containment spell I found."

Stefan's head snapped to look at Bonnie and he started to babble. "Wait, what? Did you find a spell to help Marina?"

Bonnie shrugged carefully and replied, "Maybe; I just need to look in the cellar first."

Stefan nodded, glancing at the house before saying, "Rebekah had been using the cellar as a pantry but some of your ingredients should still be in there."

Damon rolled his eyes but strolled into the house with Stefan and Bonnie walking after him. Stefan went into the kitchen so Bonnie and Damon headed down to the cellar. Jars and various bottles and boxes were stacked up in the same places that once housed blood sucking vampires. There an over powering scent of herbs and spices but Bonnie quickly found some ingredients that would help her.

As she looked through the bottles, she heard Damon say, "Are we not going to talk about it?"

Bonnie took in a calming breath through her nose before turning around to look at him leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Is there anything really to talk about? I wake up in middle of a warm night in Spain to find you gone. And all you leave behind is a note to say that something is up with Marina and you need to look into a few things."

Damon straightened up and walked towards her. "You know why Bon. You would have wanted to go with me and once again we would be back to when you were eighteen and wanting to give up your life to save people."

"Saving people is what I do!"

"And saving you is what I do!" Damon retorted.

Bonnie was clenching her jaw now, trying not to set him on fire. "I get where you are coming from, I do. But Marina is a child; an innocent child. It's not just me who would give up their life for her and don't pretend that you are not one of those people."

With that Bonnie marched past him and headed up to stairs. Damon let out a sigh and could only follow after her, glad that she didn't actually set him on fire this time.

* * *

The night came quick to Mystic Falls and the Boarding House closed its doors and windows. Stefan and Rebekah had set up rooms for the Originals, Bonnie and Damon while the others had decided to stay in their own homes, even if they were just a phone call away. Stefan had looked into his daughter's room before he himself went to bed and Marina was sleeping soundly.

It was late and the moon was casting a sickly glow over the world, when Marina awoke from something ticking her face. She opened her eyes and saw a blurry shape floating in front of her. As she blinked, the shape became clear and Marina's face lit up as she watched the purple butterfly flick around the room. It was the size of her head and had red tips on its wings. Marina hopped out of bed in her blue pyjamas with her stuffed hedgehog and chased after the butterfly, which was slipped out between the crack in the door.

Quietly, she hurried after the butterfly, her hand nearly clasping it now and again. She followed the butterfly down the stairs and to the front door, which opened when Marina walked up to it. The little girl paused on her doorsteps, knowing that her Mommy and Daddy would be mad if she left the house without anyone. But the butterfly was getting away as it flittered down the driveway.

So Marina hopped down the porch steps and went after the butterfly. She followed it as it flew around the house and towards the woods. She skipped around the trees and almost caught it as it entered a field. Marina struggled to keep up with the butterfly as it went across the field but she was right beside it when it lead her into another band of trees.

The butterfly flew up and away from Marina and landed in the hand of a strange woman. With a flick of her wrist the woman made the butterfly disappear. Marina hugged her hedgehog tightly as more and more strange people appeared from the woods.

Men and woman all wearing normal clothes but they seemed so...scary. One man stopped right in front of Marina and looked down at her.

"This is the one we've been waiting for?" he asked disbelievingly as the butterfly woman.

She nodded and replied, "She may seem like nothing much but do I have to remind you that Bonnie Bennett didn't seem like much either when she started."

The man looked back at Marina grinned with sharp teeth. Marina stepped backwards and whimpered, "I want to go home."

Snorts and soft laugher rippled through the group and the man leaned down to Marina's level. "Sorry but you won't be going home."

Suddenly Marina turned around and looked back through the trees at the field. She let out a happy sigh and looked back at the vampire. "Nevermind," she said, "Everything is alright now."

The vampire looked back at the witch and cast a glance at the others before asking, "And what makes you think that?"

"My uncles are here."

The vampire's eyes barely got a chance to widen before something grabbed him by the back of the neck and sucked him into trees. Marina blinked and suddenly every vampire, werewolf and the witch were gone. She could hear noises from the woods but she stayed where she was until all was silent.

Then Damon appeared and Marina smiled, "Oh, hi Damon!"

He watched her wave at him as if they had just met one a stroll through the park. Klaus and Kol walked out from the trees, hiding the blood from their niece.

"Come on, Marina," Damon said, "Time to go home."

He picked her up and hurried back to the Boarding House with the Original brothers. Stefan and Rebekah were at the door of the house when they reached it, the light from the hallway behind them. Damon handed Marina too them and then spotted Bonnie walking towards them from the forest.

"I've strengthened the town border," she called out, "There's a new condition on it; no one can cast magic through the lines like that witch did."

Damon nodded; he was thankful that Bonnie had figured out what had "helped" Marina walk over the town line. He was even thankful to Kol, who had gone to get a late night blood bag and spotted Marina's empty bed. He looked back at his brother, who was holding his daughter tight to his chest while Rebekah stroked her hair and murmured to her. Stefan met his eye and mouthed, "Thank you." Damon blinked, not used to seeing such gratefulness in Stefan's eyes.

He nodded once before turning on his heel and going to patrol the area again. Klaus and Kol followed his lead and all three of them spread out throughout the town in a second. Damon called into Caroline and Tyler on the way to drag their still supernatural asses out of bed to help check for any other possible threats.

However Bonnie, Elijah and Finn set about locking the Boarding House down tighter; Bonnie placing a few more protection spells around windows and doors. Stefan and Rebekah took Marina up to their room for the night and Stefan had to try and explain to her what exactly had happen.

"Sweetheart," he asked carefully, "You know how I told that there are no monsters under your bed or in your closet?"

Marina nodded, her blonde curls bouncing against Rebekah's arm from their seat on the bed. Stefan cleared his throat and added, "Well, there still aren't monsters there but...there are monster outside in those woods. And that's what you saw tonight."

Marina just nodded again, replying, "Oh I know! But Uncle Klaus and Uncle Kol and Damon got rid of them. I could hear them coming."

Rebekah set her husband a confused look but Stefan just asked, "You can hear things far away?"

"Yup!" Marina exclaimed, patting her hedgehog. Stefan sighed and then his daughter looked at him with big eyes and a questioning face. "What kind of monsters were they?"

Stefan thought for a moment but then answered her. "Have you ever heard of vampires?"

Again, Marina nodded but this time she said, "Yes, Uncle Kol tried to tell me a joke about vampires once but Uncle Finn poked him in the side. I didn't get it."

Rebekah rolled her eyes at this and collected her daughter in a hug. "It doesn't matter; those monsters will never get you with all of us around."

"I know," Marina said, "And those other bad guys aren't going to get me either."

Stefan and Rebekah sent each other panicked looks and Stefan stammered out, "W-what other bad guys?"

Marina looked up at him and said sweetly, "There are more bad guys coming to town, I can hear them. But they won't hurt me right?"

Rebekah pulled her daughter closer to her before looking at her husband. "Yes, sweetheart, don't worry. As long as you stay with us, everything will be alright."

Stefan moved himself to wrap an arm around both his wife and daughter, his eyes drawn to the window. The view was of the forest and thousands on trees in it. And apparently, all the monsters that were coming for Marina.


End file.
